Is an ACL or MCL Injury Reducing Your Mobility and Limiting Your Strength?
Have you been diagnosed or suspect that you have an ACL or MCL injury?
Popping and Swelling of the Knee
Knee Giving Way – (especially when changing direction)
Instability and the Feeling of the Knee Slipping Backward
Varying Pain and Discomfort
So let’s talk about ACL and MCL injuries.
The ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and the MCL (medial collateral ligament) are the soft tissues that provide internal support for the knee, important for keeping it strong and stable.
Damage to these supportive tissues can make walking and every movement difficult and painful.
These areas are some of the most commonly injured, often because of a twisting or overextension of the knee, causing painful tears in the ligaments.
In the past, injuries to the soft tissues inside the knee and other joints were notoriously difficult to treat, and tended to take a long time for the body to repair by itself.
If you’ve suffered an injury to your ACL, MCL, or other supportive tissues, you know it can be painful, debilitating,and exhausting.
You also know that a debilitating condition like this can take away precious time and energy from your daily life.
To fully recover from ACL and MCL injuries, it may take months and months of applying ice and heat, rest, and regular physical therapy.
Even under the best of circumstances, there is a high risk of injuring the area again before it has the chance to fully heal.
Normally these injuries heal themselves after a few weeks of rest. If the injury doesn’t go away, what can happen if left untreated?
Left untreated, knee damage can lead to other health problems in the future, and symptoms may return then continue to reappear.
Healing an ACL or MCL injury quickly and safely is important for your overall and long term health.
Chronic inflammation, swelling, and symptoms of arthritis can develop in the knee and throughout the body.
Over time and without treatment, this kind of injury can cause irreversible damage, and eventually lead to early deterioration of the joints and bones.
What are the typical treatments for ACL and MCL injuries?
Pain Medications
Exercises and Rehab
Hot / Cold Treatments
Even Surgery…
After trying rest, heat / ice, and rehab to relieve their pain, many people will turn to dangerous prescription medications or even surgery to try to find some relief.
These treatment options often times fail to repair the damage and underlying cause of the pain.
The side effects can be harmful, and even hinder the body’s ability to heal.
Harsh surgery and prescription medications should be used as a very, very last resort.
